Yahoo Answers….the raw id of our unknowledge….the cry for help in a darkling plain of the unknown. Some lass named Jann wandered in there and asked:

Where can I see DC or Marvel comics online for free?
I want to see those comics, or that style, like superheroes, I’m not interested in Manga

But no one heeded her cry.

So again she wrote:

Additional Details
There most be an online site were you can see them for free, like scanned or something like that

And then, a savior named Natalie took pity on Jann’s plea:

You can’t; I’m afraid you’ll have to buy them. Comic books aren’t like manga, there isn’t anywhere on the internet where you can read them– for free, at least.

No, comics aren’t like manga.

But if Jann is reading this….check out our Webcomics category…lots and lots of free comics to read on the Internet right there. If you search and search, there are even a few Marvel and DC comics for free on the internet.

Heidi MacDonald is the founder and editor in chief of The Beat. In the past, she worked for Disney, DC Comics, Fox and Publishers Weekly. She can be heard regularly on the More To Come Podcast. She likes coffee, cats and noble struggle.

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I’d tell her to run to her public library and pitch a fit until they find a way to get her digital access to the content she desires. Libraries exist to meet the needs of their users. Surely, someone at the library owns a Kindle Fire or iPad and can set up access to Comixology.

As a librarian, I’m not quite sure what Wally Strong is suggesting. If a patron had a question about comics apps, I’d be happy to help them — no fit pitching required. But they’d need to have their own device to use them. I’m not handing my personal Kindle Fire over.

Having said that, it would be wonderful if comic book companies would work on library lending of digital comics. We have some Marvel and manga titles through OverDrive, but the selection and usability is limited.

Finally, isn’t there tons of free previews available at most publishers’ sites? And possibly some FCBD equivalents?

Both Marvel and DC do offer a few titles to look at free. They both offer up some titles that are the whole book and some that are the first 3 to 5 pages.
I think both companies would rather have you buy some of the books you like either in print or digital. Still have to make a little money.

Here’s a real question…why is it so taboo to even acknowledge the pirate sites? I mean, I think we all know it’s wrong from an ethical standpoint; but, it seems like any mention of pirating brings out a parade of finger waggers. Meanwhile, it’s a real thing ravaging all media.

I also wonder how piracy can ever be dealt with if any discussion of it goes straight to emotions. Music piracy didn’t really ebb until someone figured out people will buy songs for 99 cents. The 99 cents isn’t for the song, it’s for the convenience. Anecdotal, but my dad buys all his music from iTunes because, quote, “I don’t want to deal with all that torrent stuff.” And that’s where I see the problem with legal methods…does the price outweigh the hassle of going through the pirate methods?

It’s a real question when finding the free previews from Marvel, DC, and Image is difficult even for enthusiasts who spend most of their days talking comics on the Internet.

@ Chris Hero
Actually, that’s another argument for purchasing printed products, or for ourchasing reasonably-priced downloads. You don’t know what type of virus or spyware is being downloaded from the piracy sites. Of course, I’ve heard that more legitimate companies are using spyware to track their customers’ purchases, so who knows?

Accessing the free stuff is kind of self-defeating. If you have a favorite comic, and everyone wants it for free, the publisher is going to kill it based on poor sales.

I think it’s fascinating that MPAA members Disney and Warner Bros, who own Marvel and DC, will not fund the comic book companies in their fight against free promotion – um, piracy. People from DC and Marvel lament piracy, but their parent companies won’t spend money on the lawyers needed to shut it down. From what I can tell, most scans are downloaded by people in places where it’s not easy to get comics, but it’s easy to buy the movies, and the studios want their licensed properties as widely known as possible. The scan scene has created a free, volunteer worldwide distribution network for movie advertising that has to astound the movie studios. I’m not sure they really want it to end. They’re already operating comics as an almost break-even proposition to keep the properties alive for their movies.

I feel sorry for creators, where 5k in sales can be the difference between a title getting canceled or not. Sales lost to piracy in countries like the US where people can easily buy the comics are negligible, but even that amount is the difference between a title getting canceled or not.

I would rather support a local comic book shop or even a legal download site than to download something illegal.
First by downloading free you are taking away from a retailer who earns his money legal.
You are also hurting the company that produces the comic book you have down loaded for free.
If you are a TRUE comic book fan you would support your local comic book shop or digital down load site by paying for the books you enjoy.
In this day and age a lot of people justify getting free downloads crying the company is rich already or they charge too much. Remember if everyone did that why would your favorite company keep making your favorite book if you steal it.
You hurt more people in the long run for your lazy way of getting your book on a illegal down load.

Comic books should be free.
Why are you saying that Stam?
How dare you? Don`t you care about creator rights and profitability?
Yes,and thats why precisely they should be free. The comic books are great advertising to create interest,so they will buy action figures,cloths,and videogames. The real money is in the merchandising. Also if Marvel and DC offer free comics the creators are not getting screwed,as Marvel and DC by law are the creators.
tsk tsk tsk. Marvel and DC should hire me for my vast knowledge of markets and business. Like Milt Romney I know how to make money.
respectfully ‘Stam”

Snoop- As the husband of a librarian, I can tell you that librarians are getting this question more and more. There are library programs that allow you to check out an e-book just like a physical book, thanks to Overdrive. Unfortunately, publishers are getting more difficult to work with as time goes on. But go into your local library, and you’ll see tons of people with Kindles asking how to use the Amazon lending program for libraries…

Free comic content? Not a lot of that around, as others have pointed out.

Try libraries, try the publisher sites.

Why should it be free? Unless it is subsidized by product placement (all the characters are drinking soft drinks and praising certain commercial products, like they do on tv shows), or is full of actual ad pages (comics are 36 pages of content including covers, and how much of that is comic story and art: 23?) then you will have to pay to read the comic.

@richardcaldwell
Then tell them for free.
There are thousands of artists and writers out there.Would be comic book creators are like would be musicians and actors. They are a dime a dozen. Everybody has that special story to tell. The key is free. Why ? Exposure. No one will ever know if the creators are any good if they keep charging $3.99 a pop for their 10 minute a read masterpieces. To be popular you better damn well know how to market yourself.

VichusSmith: “The comic book piracy sites got shut down because unlike Japanese publishers, Marvel and DC can shut that stuff down easier.”

There seemed to be a couple of piracy sites that focused just on comic books, but with a few google searches, it seems that there is still a huge amount of illegal comic book content on other general bitTorrent websites. Some of them even seem to have their own comic book section and going by the dates I’m seeing have the content the same day as they are available.

That said, I hope that since digital comics are now available legally on the same day as print, that will be where the new audience will go.

“The comic books are great advertising to create interest,so they will buy action figures,cloths,and videogames. The real money is in the merchandising. Also if Marvel and DC offer free comics the creators are not getting screwed,as Marvel and DC by law are the creators.” So comics are basically extended advertising copy? Interesting…

Wondering how did ppl create art in the middle ages without being paied for it?What hapened with the culture being foe everyone?The guy that said u should buy them should think about a poor kid in africa who will never afford the full price of a comic book and will never be able to read one without piracy…nuff said

they did get paid, they had wealthy patrons who paid them to make art to their requests. Usually the catholic church (well the only church european culture anyway back then) , thats why almost all middle ages art is religious in nature.

as far as comic book piracy…. um type superhero name + issue number + cbr into google lol… many many many hits. and dc and marvel or disney or whoever owns them could prolly give 2 poops about comic book piracy- their revenue from actual print or digital comics must be infinitesimal compared to licensing fees for their ip (ya know, batman toothbrushes pajamas sheets etc) and movies

I’d answer it for her. Look at websites like Mediafire and p2p stuff. Its out there, you just have to be willing to do a lot of searching. Although there are also a bunch of spanish rips which I am willing to report because they dilute the search.

All comics (and manga) should be free. The industry labels them as “pirated” to give them a negative stigma, but all comics, all issues should be free. It is then up to us as the readers to purchase those comics that we liked. I read free manga and then buy the box sets, buy the dvds etc. from those who did quality work. As a matter of fact, I don’t buy comics just for that reason, because it feels awful, as a true connoisseur, when you buy a piece of crap comic (because of story, art, or whatever) What, because they are Disney and DC, I have to bow down to their demands and buy every single thing from them? We’ve all seen some of those crappy issues they’ve put out. Some like some, and some not, but we should not have to pay to check them out. I remember when comics (quality ones mind you) were a quarter – a freakin quarter a pop, and not just for a marketing scheme. Who’s winning out in the end the way things are now? Not the fans. And also, not the publishers, because if they were really smart, they could milk free comics for millions of dollars, but they don’t know how to do it and so they throw hissy fits when someone downloads them or gets them buy other means. I as a reader can’t help it if the suits are to dumb to market a free comic properly. I’ll just stick to manga, that I can read freely and compensate the companies that put out the work worth compensating through purchases of material and merchandise. Screw Marvel and DC, (like they wrote the book on storytelling or something – and screw their manipulative plotting schemes too ie. Spiderman on the Avengers, and the return of Hal Jordan just for movie purposes)

I just read all of the comments… wow. I find it amazing how much I agree with the people who said that comics should be free, if you listen to their reasoning they have the most evidence and such to back up their points by far. These companies make SO much more off of movies and merchandise than comics, the only benifit that they really get from the comics is that they influence readers to watch/buy movies or merchandise (they obviously still earn a rather large amount off of the comics even if there’s no comparison the the money made off of other products)

Reading comics online for free would be a good thing.
Last time i read comics was when i was 8 or 9. But if they where free especially in app form, i would most certainly read them.

Why would publishers make money? take for example games.
I have pirated games all my life, never had the money to buy games, other then some playstation 2 games. yet i downloaded easily over 200 pc games.
when i got a part time job for 2 years, i finely got the chance to buy the good ones. so now i have over a 100 games in my steam library. i’m certain that if i never illegally downloaded those games i would never bought them at the time or now buy them on steam.

an other example i have easily downloaded over a 100 manga series of manga rock 2. but in the future i would like to buy them in store and collect them. at least 20 are good enough

So my point is i would do the same for comics, sure first i would download them but eventually would like to collect the good ones.

If you want free comics online, check out Farrago.
It is an app on the iPad and Android store. They are trying to create a Netflix or Spotify but for comics and for free. Currently they have over 210 free comics. You should really check it out.